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Libya Herald
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Libya Herald
Libyan militias intensified suppression of dissent, attacks on civil society. Thousands arbitrarily detained, arrested for exercise of human rights: Amnesty International report
Amnesty International's Annual 2024 Report (pages 240-245), ''The State of the World's Human Rights'', published on 23 April, says that Libya's militias are suppressing the country's civilians. The report also details, amongst other things, discrimination and violence against women and girls, LGBTI individuals, ethnic minorities, refugees and migrants. Here is the full report: ''State of Libya Militias, armed groups and security forces across Libya intensified their suppression of dissent, and attacks on civil society. Thousands of people remained arbitrarily detained in conditions violating the absolute prohibition of torture and other ill- treatment, while hundreds of peaceful protesters, activists, journalists and others were arrested solely because of the peaceful exercise of their human rights. Militias and armed groups killed and wounded civilians and destroyed civilian infrastructure during intensified armed hostilities. Armed groups forced thousands of people out of their homes, including in reprisal for their alleged affiliation or to appropriate their lands. Amid pervasive impunity and ongoing funding and integration of abusive militias and armed groups in state institutions, calls for accountability grew in the aftermath of the staggering loss of life, destruction and forced displacement in the wake of Storm Daniel. Discrimination and violence against women and girls remained pervasive. LGBTI individuals continued to be subjected to arbitrary arrests, unjust prosecution and other abuse. Ethnic minorities continued to face discrimination and barriers to accessing health, education and other services. Refugees and migrants, including those intercepted at sea by EU-backed coastguards and armed groups, were subjected to torture and other ill-treatment, extortion and forced labour; thousands were forcibly expelled without due process. BACKGROUND Libya's political stalemate continued as rival factions failed to agree a new unity government or set new dates for long-delayed presidential and parliamentary elections. In June, a leaked report by the Administrative Control Authority pointed to 80,000 administrative and financial violations across state institutions under the Tripoli- based Government of National Unity (GNU) in 2022. In October, Libya's audit bureau released its annual report revealing widespread embezzlement of public funds in 2022. In August, the Libyan Central Bank announced reunification after a decade-long division. The move followed struggles over its control and the shutting down of oil fields by actors affiliated to the Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF) armed group. In September, Storm Daniel triggered the collapse in Derna city of two dams, neither of which had been maintained for decades, leaving about 4,540 people dead and 8,500 missing, and causing widespread destruction and displacement. Also in September, the UN Panel of Experts on Libya reported that foreign fighters and private military companies were continuing to pose a severe threat to security in Libya and that the arms embargo, in force since 2011, was being violated with impunity. DEPRIVATION OF LIBERTY AND UNFAIR TRIALS Thousands of people, including children, were arbitrarily arrested and detained by militias, armed groups and security forces solely for their actual or suspected political or tribal affiliations and/or opinions; or following grossly unfair trials, including by military courts; or without legal basis. According to the GNU Ministry of Justice, in October over 18,000 people were held in 31 prisons nationwide, two thirds of them without trial. Thousands more were held in detention facilities controlled by militias and armed groups. In May, Libya handed over to Tunisia four Tunisian women and their five children who had been arbitrarily detained without charge or trial since 2016 solely for being relatives of killed fighters with the Islamic State (IS) armed group. Attacks on judges, prosecutors and lawyers continued. Deterrence Apparatus for Combating Terrorism and Organized Crime (DACTO) militiamen continued to arbitrarily detain Farouq Ben Saeed, a military prosecutor from Tripoli, abducted in June. TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT Torture and other ill-treatment remained systemic in prisons and other detention facilities across Libya. On camera 'confessions' extracted under torture continued to be published online and on TV. At least 15 people died in custody across Libya amid reports of physical torture and deliberate denial of medical care, including in facilities controlled by DACTO, the Internal Security Agency (ISA) in Derna, the Stability Support Apparatus (SSA) militia, and the Interior Ministry's Directorate for Combating Illegal Migration (DCIM). In August, the body of Walid Al-Tarhouni was found in Tripoli's Abu Salim Hospital morgue with signs of torture, according to a forensic report. SSA militiamen had abducted him in July. Detainees were held in conditions violating the absolute prohibition of torture and other ill-treatment, including overcrowding; lack of hygiene, sufficient food and access to sunlight; and denial of family visits. FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION Militias, armed groups and security forces across Libya further stifled civic space, including through arbitrary arrests, summons for interrogation and other forms of harassment of Libyan and foreign NGO staff and humanitarian workers. Between March and May, the GNU issued multiple decrees that threatened to dissolve NGOs unless they complied with the repressive Law No. 19 of 2001 on NGOs. In April, the Department of Criminal Investigation allied to the LAAF arbitrarily arrested five members of the pro-Saif al-Islam al-Gaddafi Together for the Homeland party in Sirte city, and held them without charge or trial until their release in October. In May, the ISA in Tripoli arrested and aired torture-tainted forced confessions of Libyan contractors of the Italian NGO Ara Pacis 'admitting' to working for the resettlement of sub-Saharan African nationals in southern Libya, amid rising smear attacks on NGOs working on refugee and migrant rights. Ara Pacis's activities in Libya were suspended indefinitely. FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND ASSEMBLY Militias and armed groups arbitrarily arrested, detained and threatened hundreds of activists, journalists, protesters and others solely for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. In February, the ISA in Benghazi arrested singer Ahlam al-Yamani and content creator Haneen al-Abdali for 'offending the traditions of Libya', accusing them of violating Law No. 5 of 2022 on Cybercrimes. They were released in April without charge or trial. During the year, the ISA in Tripoli arbitrarily arrested at least one child, four women and 22 men solely for exercising their human rights, and published some of their forced 'confessions' alongside claims of their involvement in activities contravening 'Libyan values', including 'apostasy', 'homosexuality', proselytizing and feminism. Eighteen remained detained awaiting trial, including on the charge of 'apostasy', which carries the death penalty. Between May and September, in the cities of Tripoli, Benghazi and al-Zawiya, militias and armed groups unlawfully fired live ammunition into the air to disperse peaceful protests against their grip on power and the deteriorating security situation. The Tariq Ben Zeyad (TBZ) armed group arrested at least nine protesters who had gathered at Derna's Sahaba Mosque on 18 September calling for accountability and resignations of politicians in the wake of the catastrophic floods. Most were released within 10 days, but a protest organizer and one other activist remained detained at the end of the year. In October, investigations by the European Investigative Collaborations revealed that corporate entities within the 'Intellexa alliance' had sold surveillance technology to the LAAF in 2020. UNLAWFUL ATTACKS During sporadic localized clashes, militias and armed groups violated international humanitarian law, including by carrying out indiscriminate attacks and destroying civilian infrastructure and private property. In January, a 10-year-old boy, Abdel Moez Masoud Oqab, died after the detonation of unexploded ordnance left from the 2019 armed conflict in Tripoli's Qasr Bin Ghashir district. In May, the Tripoli-based Ministry of Defence carried out air strikes on targets in al-Zawiya city and other locations in western Libya, with the declared aim of rooting out criminal networks, leading to injuries of civilians and destruction of civilian infrastructure, including a medical clinic. In August, fighting in residential Tripoli neighbourhoods, including Ain Zara, Firnaj and Al-Tibbi, between DACTO and the 444 Brigade using explosive weapons with wide- area effects, killed at least 45 people and injured over 164, including civilians. Clashes between 6 and 8 October in Benghazi between the LAAF and fighters loyal to Al-Mahdi Al-Barghathi, a former minister of defence, left at least five people dead and more injured, including civilians, amid an internet shutdown imposed by the LAAF. LAAF affiliates also took hostage 36 women and 13 children to compel Al-Mahdi Al-Barghathi and his son to hand themselves over. The fate of Al-Mahdi Al-Barghathi and 33 of his relatives and supporters following their abductions remained unknown at the end of the year. In September and October, the TBZ and other armed groups destroyed civilian homes in apparent reprisal for their owners' political affiliations, including in Qasr Abu Hadi, south of Sirte, and Benghazi. IMPUNITY Officials and commanders of powerful militia and armed groups enjoyed near total impunity for crimes under international law and serious human rights violations committed in 2023 and previous years. In March, the UN Independent Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) on Libya concluded that 'there are grounds to believe State security forces and armed militia groups have committed a wide array of war crimes and crimes against humanity'. Despite this, the UN Human Rights Council ended the FFM's mandate and adopted a capacity-building resolution with no monitoring and investigative component. In May, the GNU prime minister signed a decree integrating members of militias from Tripoli, Misrata city and other parts of western Libya into a new security force, the National Apparatus of Support Forces, without any vetting. Also in May, the ICC prosecutor announced four new arrest warrants in connection with the Libya situation, but did not name the suspects. In December, the Tripoli-based public prosecutor concluded investigations in relation to the collapse of the Derna dams and referred 16 middle-ranking officials to the Accusation Chamber for negligence and mismanagement, amid concerns over the transparency and independence of the investigation and its failure to address the responsibility of senior officials and powerful commanders of armed groups. DISCRIMINATIONWOMEN AND GIRLS Women faced discrimination in law and practice, including in relation to marriage, divorce, inheritance, employment, the right to impart their nationality to their children, and political office. Women politicians, activists and municipal councillors faced gendered threats and insults, including online. From April, the ISA in Tripoli required women travelling alone to complete a form on their reasons for travelling abroad without a male 'guardian' (mahram). Authorities failed to protect women and girls from violence by armed groups, militias, their family members and other non-state actors; in some cases, militias prevented survivors from lodging judicial complaints. LGBTI PEOPLE Consensual same-sexual relations remained criminalized. The ISA in Tripoli and other armed groups continued to arrest individuals for their actual or perceived sexual orientation and/or gender identity, amid reports of torture and other ill-treatment. In her May report, the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls stated that GNU officials had said there were no LGBTI individuals in Libya. In September, the ISA in Benghazi confiscated rainbow-coloured toys, clothing and other items from stores, claiming that these encourage 'homosexuality'. ETHNIC MINORITIES AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES Members of the Tebu and Tuareg communities without national identity cards owing to discriminatory laws and regulations governing Libyan citizenship faced barriers in accessing education and health services. In August, LAAF-affiliated armed groups raided the 'Chinese Company' neighbourhood in Umm Al-Aranib, looting private belongings and arbitrarily arresting Tebu men, according to local activists and politicians. The attack took place against a backdrop of rising racist and xenophobic rhetoric against Tebus. INTERNALLY DISPLACED PEOPLE Over 170,664 people remained internally displaced, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). They included 44,862 people who lost their homes in the wake of Storm Daniel, with most sheltering with relatives or renting private accommodation amid need for basic services and trauma support. From March, the TBZ evicted thousands of Benghazi residents from their homes, including from the historic city centre, without compensation, and harassed those who protested. People displaced during previous armed hostilities in Benghazi, Derna and other parts of eastern Libya as well as Murzuq town in south-west Libya were unable to return to their areas of origin, owing to a risk of persecution or retaliation by armed groups. In January, militias forced dozens of families of Tawerghans, internally displaced since the 2011 armed conflict, out of informal settlements where they had been sheltering around Tripoli and Bani Walid city. LAAF and affiliated armed groups prevented hundreds of internally displaced Tawerghans from returning to seven camps for internally displaced people in and around Benghazi, where they had lived for years and from where they were told to evacuate on 10 September ahead of Storm Daniel. Scores were forced to return to the city of Tawergha despite a lack of services and employment opportunities. REFUGEES' AND MIGRANTS' RIGHTS Security forces, armed groups, militias and non-state actors committed widespread and systematic human rights violations and abuses against refugees and migrants with impunity. According to the IOM, as of 25 November, 947 migrants had died and a further 1,256 had gone missing at sea off the Libyan coast in 2023. In addition, 15,057 were intercepted at sea and forcibly returned to Libya by EU- backed coastguards in western Libya as well as the LAAF-affiliated Libyan Special Naval Forces and the TBZ in eastern Libya. On 19 August, the TBZ intercepted in Malta's search and rescue area a boat carrying about 110 people, mainly Lebanese and Syrian nationals. The boat had departed from Akkar in Lebanon heading for Italy, and disembarked them in Benghazi. Five of the people from the boat said they were arbitrarily detained in a large tent in Benghazi port and that some, including children, were subjected to forced labour. From late April, security agencies across Libya carried out mass arrests targeting thousands of refugees and migrants, including those with valid visas or who had registered with UNHCR, the UN refugee agency. As of September, 3,913 foreign nationals were arbitrarily detained in DCIM-run detention centres, while thousands of others were held by the SSA and other militias and armed groups. They were held in cruel and inhuman conditions and subjected to torture and other ill-treatment, including sexual violence, extortion of ransoms to secure their freedom, and denial of adequate medical care. From July, Tunisian authorities forcibly expelled thousands of refugees and migrants to deserted areas on the border between Tunisia and Libya, leaving them without food or water and resulting in reported deaths (see Tunisia section). Armed groups affiliated to the LAAF forcibly expelled over 22,000 refugees and migrants towards Chad, Egypt, Niger and Sudan, without giving them the opportunity to challenge their deportation or seek international protection. DEATH PENALTY Libya's legislation retains the death penalty for a wide range of offences. In July, the public prosecutor, Al-Siddiq Al-Sour, announced the establishment of a committee to examine the resumption of executions, which had been halted since 2011. Death sentences continued to be passed after grossly unfair trials, including by military courts. In May, a court in Misrata sentenced 23 people to death for their involvement with IS, after a trial marred by allegations of torture and enforced disappearances. RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT In May, Libya had still not ratified the Paris Agreement, nor submitted mitigation or adaptation strategies, while announcing plans to double fossil fuel production by 2030. The country's poor preparedness for the impacts of climate change was laid bare by the vast loss of life in the wake of Storm Daniel. Officials in eastern Libya provided Derna residents with conflicting instructions on whether to evacuate or respect a curfew ahead of the flooding. The World Meteorological Organization deemed that deaths could have been avoided with proper warnings and evacuations. According to a study published by the World Weather Attribution, similar extreme events have 'become up to 50 times more likely and up to 50% more intense compared to a 1.2◦C cooler climate.' Continue Reading
Asharq Al-Awsat
05-03-2025
- General
- Asharq Al-Awsat
KSrelief Distributes Food Baskets in Several Arab Countries
The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) distributed thousands of food baskets across a number of Arab countries. In Yemen, 741 food baskets were delivered to Sheikh Othman District, Aden Governorate, on Monday, benefiting 5,187 individuals, representing 741 families. This initiative comes within the framework of the system of humanitarian and relief projects provided by the Kingdom, represented by the KSrelief, to provide food security in many brotherly and friendly countries worldwide. The center also distributed 300 food baskets in the Libyan cities of Shahat and Al-Abraq, benefiting 1,831 individuals. This assistance was part of the urgent food aid project for families affected by Storm Daniel in Libya, in cooperation with the Libyan Red Crescent. Also in Sudan, Ksrelief distributed 400 food baskets to the most vulnerable displaced families in Sennar State, benefiting 3,794 individuals. The distribution is part of the third phase of the Food Security Support Project in Sudan in 2025.
BBC News
19-02-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Humanitarian Medal recognises Gaza work as valuable, medic says
An anaesthetist who was sent to Gaza five times in a year to help to provide care has said being awarded a Humanitarian Medal by the King was recognition that the work was "valuable".The medal, which was first introduced in 2023, recognises the service of people who work to support human welfare during or in the aftermath of a Matthew Newport, an NHS medic from Ramsbottom from Greater Manchester, was one of 14 frontline medical responders to receive the medal at a ceremony in Buckingham Palace on 37-year-old, who also volunteers with North West Air Ambulance, said the medal was a "huge honour and privilege". Dr Newport, who works at the Royal Blackburn Hospital, was deployed to Gaza five times over the past 12 months by the UK-Med charity, which was part of the UK Government's humanitarian response to the Israel/Gaza said the medal was "really just recognition that the work is valuable".He said his work had been part of the charity's support for the "phenomenal hundreds of local Palestinian staff" and had been helping to build "a safe space where they can do the heavy lifting and the day-to-day work". Dr Newport said conditions in Gaza had been "apocalyptic" and that while many people would "think about the bombs and the blast injuries", there was also "the normal stuff... the diabetes, the blood pressure, the cancer, the heart failure".He said medics in the region also had to deal with "all the bits that are not trauma related" but connected to the crisis, such as "malnutrition, diarrhoea, infectious diseases"."It really is a full smorgasbord of medical traumas and presentations," he added."This medal is an honour, but the real recognition must go to the local medics who have been working around the clock under impossible conditions."Among the others receiving a medal alongside Dr Newport were research midwife Alessandra Morelli, who was deployed to Libya in the wake of Storm Daniel, and former British Army nursing officer Paula Tobin, who was deployed three times to UK-Med's Al Mawasi field hospital in Gaza. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
BBC News
18-02-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Oxford medic's humanitarian work to be recognised by King
A medic who supported emergency healthcare in flood-hit Libya is to receive an award from the Morelli, a research midwife at the University of Oxford, was deployed to Libya with charity UK-Med in 2023 in the wake of Storm Morelli, and 13 other frontline medical responders, will be presented with Humanitarian Medals during a ceremony at Buckingham Palace on new award recognises extraordinary service in response to humanitarian emergencies. Storm Daniel struck Libya on 10 September 2023, destroying two dams in the port city of Derna and killing which provides aid in conflict and disasters across the world, offered mobile healthcare in the aftermath of the charity also supported a maternity unit, provided essential medicines and delivered training to Libyan health Morelli gave training to Libyan midwives in the she also joined UK-Med's response to two devastating earthquakes that hit southern Turkey in February 2023, claiming the lives of more than 53,500 the time of the Turkey disaster, Ms Morelli said: 'The effects of the earthquake were devastating."There is a very high proportion of people who have been displaced by the effects of the earthquake, with a temperature at night of -6 degrees." David Wightwick, CEO of UK-Med, said: "These dedicated professionals have put their expertise to work in the most extreme conditions imaginable. "Their commitment to saving lives, often at great personal risk, is a testament to the values of humanitarianism and medical excellence."The recognition from His Majesty is a moment of pride for all of us at UK-Med and a reminder of the critical role our medics play in global emergency response." Other recipients of the Humanitarian Medal on Tuesday include medics who delivered care during the ongoing conflict in Gaza. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
The Independent
30-01-2025
- General
- The Independent
First recipients of new medal honouring humanitarian efforts ‘shocked' by award
Two aid workers have said they are 'shocked' after being awarded a 'humbling' new medal honouring their work during major humanitarian crises. Shyam Rana, Anna Daniell and Melanie Johnson have been recognised with the Humanitarian Medal for their responses on behalf of the United Kingdom to the Morocco Earthquake, the floods in Libya – both in September 2023 – and the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The trio are the first people to receive the medal, with the responses having been approved by the King. Recipients of the medal, which was first announced in July 2023, will be people who have responded to major humanitarian disasters, both at home and abroad. Crises could range from natural and conflict-related disasters to significant industrial accidents and biological emergencies, such as an epidemic. Mr Rana, 55, from Cannock Chase, Staffordshire, was operations commander for the UK International Search and Rescue (ISAR) team in Morocco, helping to search and rescue people under collapsed buildings. At home he works for the West Midlands Fire Service Technical Rescue unit in Birmingham. Reacting to the medal, he told the PA news agency: 'It's a huge honour for me. It's a humbling experience, really. 'I'm coming towards the end of a 27-year career in the fire service, 19 of which have been in the ISAR team. I've been deployed all over the world [to] seven international rescue missions, and I'm just about to leave all that behind, so this really crowns a lifetime of service.' Mr Rana said his ISAR team, comprising more than 60 members, was on the ground in Morocco searching for victims of the earthquake within 18 hours of receiving the initial call. The searches included villages deep in the Atlas Mountains, where on one occasion the crew was forced to sleep rough overnight due to its remoteness. Mr Rana said: 'In the UK, we go to house fires or building collapses that involve one or two people. On these international disasters it's in the tens or hundreds of thousands of people who are dead or have lost their homes and their loved ones, and are without any support. 'It's hugely rewarding for us, but it takes its toll. When you see devastation on this magnitude, it puts you in a different mindset. It makes you want to come back and do more of this work.' Mr Rana said his humanitarian work made him 'incredibly proud', adding: 'This [work] needs to go on. 'When you save people in other countries in their time of need we build relationships, whether they're political or economic, and those people don't forget that. They don't forget the things that you do for them.' Ms Daniell, 34, from Chorlton, Greater Manchester, led the UK's Emergency Medical Team into Derna, Libya, after heavy rains from Storm Daniel burst two major dams, causing widespread destructive flooding. Speaking about learning of her medal, Ms Daniell said: 'It's a real honour to be selected. It was really exciting, a really nice surprise. I was not expecting it at all. 'I think I was quite shocked when I found out at first, it's sort of still sinking in a little bit. 'The fact that this new award has been created, I think it really helps to kind of highlight the importance of humanitarian work.' Ms Daniell said whole neighbourhoods in Derna were swept into the sea by the floods, while critical bridges and roads were also badly damaged, making their response efforts much trickier. 'I will never forget the first time that we drove into the city centre of Derna,' she said. 'On the journey there, we'd been chatting, talking in the car, and we all, I think, just fell silent as we drove through the city. 'As a person I'd say I'm probably rarely speechless, but I think the level of devastation that we saw there, I don't think I'll ever forget that.' Reflecting on her time in Libya, Ms Daniell, who works as an operations coordinator for the humanitarian medical NGO UK-Med, added: 'I truly believe that everyone should have access to quality healthcare, especially in crises or natural disasters. And I think as well, just for people to know that they haven't been forgotten. 'I think we were able to do really great work, you know, clinically, but also kind of on, like a on a personal level, to be able to provide a bit of a respite for, you know, some of the clinicians in Libya who had been, you know, basically working around the clock since the disaster happened.' Ms Johnson, from Totterdown in Bristol, is the medical co-ordinator for the humanitarian medical NGO UK-Med in Gaza, providing surgical, primary, and community healthcare support at hospitals in the territory. The medal's design features an image of the King on one side and the words 'for humanitarian service' interwoven with a laurel wreath on the other. It is decorated with a multi-coloured ribbon which aims to reflect 'the different paths for humanitarian service and the variety of services involved in such responses', according to the Cabinet Office. Government departments make recommendations for eligible Humanitarian responses before medal awards are submitted to the King for approval. Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: 'This new medal recognises the incredible dedication and selfless service of individuals on the frontline of the UK's responses to some of the world's most devastating crises. 'I am delighted the first tranche of awards will recognise members of the UK government's emergency deployment teams, for their brave work in Libya, Morocco and Gaza. 'The International Search and Rescue team and Emergency Medical Team are made up of expert firefighters and medics from across the UK, who travel to the most challenging of environments to save lives.'
